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Posted on Aug 12th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
At the end of July, Google introduced a major change to its local search algorithm, informally nicknamed 'Pigeon.' The update is designed to improve local search results by integrating them more closely with traditional search features and ranking signals...
Posted on Aug 6th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Successful SEO is about much more than keyword rankings. If you want your resort's website to survive algorithm changes, avoid Google penalties, and get noticed on a web saturated with content, here are 5 critical SEO mistakes you need to avoid....
Posted on Aug 5th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Who needs Google? Well, we all do. Ranking for important keywords is an undeniably powerful way to get your resort's name in front of your guests and drive streams of relevant traffic back to your website ready to make a booking. But with Google constantl...
Posted on Jun 24th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Are you doing everything you can to maximise your social media marketing efforts or merely covering the basics? By taking just 3 simple steps, you can build on your current social media routine, make your accounts work harder for you and bring in greater...
Posted on Jun 18th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
From social media to blogging and email marketing, there are so many strategies available to improve your resort's online visibility that it's easy to overlook one of the oldest, yet most effective. After all, link building is dead, isn't it? The answer t...
Posted on Jun 18th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
There's no doubt about it: if you want to climb the search results, capture valuable relevant traffic and send it to your resort's website, you have a lot of work to put in. You need to design a strong SEO strategy, implement it successfully into your sit...
Posted on Jun 11th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Up until now you've probably been investing most of your resort's social media energy and resources into building your fan base on Facebook. Now, with Google+ getting bigger and more important by the day, it's time to do the same on Google's own social ne...
Posted on Jun 10th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Google+ does not yet command the colossal membership numbers enjoyed by Facebook and Twitter, but thanks to its close integration into many other Google products, the platform is perhaps more crucial to your SEO success than any of the other social networ...
Posted on May 21st 2014 by Bryan Marsh
As we discussed in a recent blog, Google+ looks certain to grow and grow as Google seeks to incorporate the social platform into all its most popular products. Now that Google+ is still relatively 'young', it's a good time to make sure you've mastered its...
Posted on May 19th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
With 29 million unique visitors on desktop every month, and 41 million on Smartphones, Google+ has doubled in size year over year. Despite these figures, it's still a relatively small social network in terms of membership, not least when compared with Fac...
Posted on May 14th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Engaging with your audience is all about knowing your audience. By using data drawn from Google Analytics, you can find out the key information you need to create strong guest personas for your social media audience, helping you formulate content that is...
Posted on May 7th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Thanks to its integration with other Google products like YouTube and search results, Google+ provides more opportunities to interact with your audience and drive web traffic than any other social platform. But to drive this traffic, you must first get yo...
Posted on Apr 30th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Last year, Google caused (another) shake up in the marketing world by removing organic keyword data from Google Analytics, replacing it with the words 'Not Provided'. Since then, speculation has been rife that the search company plans to start blocking p...
Posted on Apr 9th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Google's accommodation search and comparison service Hotel Finder is slowly but surely gaining momentum in the US, and will create another valuable opportunity for you to promote your resort online when it gets rolled out fully over here in the near futur...
Posted on Mar 26th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Towards the end of 2012, Google began rolling out its one-stop accommodation planning tool Hotel Finder into standard search results worldwide. Two years on, let's take a closer look at how the service has evolved and its impact on the online travel secto...
Posted on Mar 13th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Noticed anything different about the Google search results lately? In the last few days the search company has begun rolling out a new design which changes the way organic search results and ads are displayed to desktop users....
Posted on Mar 5th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
As an online marketer, the people that actively engage with your message and spread it on to their wider social community are your biggest asset. Perhaps more than any other social platform, Google+ makes it easy to reach out to these brand evangelists an...
Posted on Feb 12th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
Google's innovative and controversial new product Google Glass will be made available to the public later this year. With the launch date imminent, it's time to start thinking about how such technology will impact the way consumers search for and interact...
Posted on Jan 29th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
If, following our recent blog post about Yahoo, Bing and SEO, you've decided to go ahead and dedicate a little more time to these 'alternative' search engines, this is the post for you. Worried about finding time to incorporate two more search engines int...
Posted on Jan 29th 2014 by Bryan Marsh
When you hear the words "search engine," what's the first name you think of? Chances are your answer is Google, and with good reason. The company has become synonymous with search, boasting a 67% share of the global market and an impressive 6 billion sear...
Posted on Oct 16th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
One of the most significant changes of Google's recent Hummingbird update is that data scraped from websites is now being displayed on the results page alongside traditional search results content. Now, each time a user makes a search enquiry, Google will...
Posted on Oct 16th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Just before its 15th birthday, Google unveiled one of its biggest and most significant algorithm overhauls yet. The update, nicknamed Hummingbird, is the search company's latest move designed to deliver a higher quality service to its users. How the updat...
Posted on Oct 9th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Getting specific when it comes to SEO can be a very profitable strategy. By ranking highly for keywords related to your resort's particular niche, your website will attract higher quality traffic and generate more bookings than ever before. Decide on Your...
Posted on Oct 8th 2013 by Lee Tester
When Google developed Google+, it created a SEO powerhouse designed to dominate search results above Facebook, Twitter and all other social media platforms. Want to take advantage of this domination and get your resort noticed in search results? Here's a...
Posted on Oct 1st 2013 by Lee Tester
You've had your resort's website professionally designed to showcase your property's best features. You're driving traffic there through a carefully thought-out marketing campaign that includes a social media strategy, email, blogging and possibly pay-per...
Posted on Sep 12th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Uploading promotional videos to YouTube boosts your online marketing campaign by bringing your property's best features to life, capturing the attention and imagination of guests and getting them ready to make a booking. With a little time and effort, the...
Posted on Sep 10th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Over the last three years, Google has made several important changes to the way it indexes the search results page. Determined to serve up only the best, most useful results for every online query, the company has introduced a series of algorithm updates...
Posted on Sep 3rd 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Google has introduced a string of algorithm updates in the last few years in an attempt to banish spam and prioritise quality, freshness and social content on the search results page. All this has stirred up a lot of debate about the value and future of S...
Posted on Aug 28th 2013 by Lee Tester
Google+ is still barely over two years old, but it has already claimed a total of 359 million active monthly users, ranking it behind Facebook as the second largest social media network. Despite this rapid rise to success, it seems many businesses and bra...
Posted on Feb 19th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Google has recently revamped the design of its Analytics interface, streamlining several features that were strewn across different tabs and making it a more coherent, easy to use product. Here is a run through of the most prominent changes....
Posted on Jan 9th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
Now that Google is rolling out Hotel Finder on a worldwide scale, it's time to pay attention to your hotel's Google Hotel Finder page. Because the product's initial feed of data was collected from sites like Yelp.com, online travel agencies and GDS repr...
Posted on Jan 8th 2013 by Bryan Marsh
The following OTAs and GDSs can be used to get your hotel rooms and rates listed on Google Hotel Finder. As we find more GDS or OTAs connected to Hotel Finder we'll update the list....
Posted on Dec 17th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Google's Hotel Finder product has recently become available on a global scale and the company is beginning to display Google Hotel results in regular search engine results pages....
Posted on Sep 18th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Nearly a year after its acquisition of restaurant review and ratings service Zagat Survey, Google has announced it is buying travel guidebook brand Frommer's....
Posted on Sep 6th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
If you struggle to memorise that long string of random numbers that makes up your hotel's Google + business page, you'll be pleased to hear that Google is in the process of rolling out shorter, more professional custom URLs to thousands of its users....
Posted on Jul 9th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Google dominates 87.6% of the search engine market share worldwide, so it goes it without saying that optimising your resort's website to rank highly in Google search results is essential. And where better to find out how to improve your ranking than from...
Posted on Jun 21st 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Email marketing campaigns are an effective and affordable way to attract return visitors to your resort's website. Campaign tags help you to analyze the success of each email you send so you can stay on top of your campaign and maximize your return on inv...
Posted on Jun 13th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Appearing in local search results is pretty essential to the success of your resort's internet marketing campaign. While there's been lots written about the importance of Google Place pages and local web content when it comes to boosting your local search...
Posted on Apr 12th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Google have recently revealed "Project Glass," augmented reality glasses which will allow wearers to access the web on a screen no bigger than a postage stamp attached to a pair of specs....
Posted on Apr 4th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Recent research released by Google has demonstrated that even when a brand ranks highly in organic search, they can effectively double their number of clicks by investing in an accompanying advert....
Posted on Feb 15th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
Google have recently introduced "Search Plus Your World," a new personalised search results page that incorporates social content from your Google Plus network with standard search results. The new layout displays results which have been recommended or gi...
Posted on Feb 14th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
The launch of Google Plus last year was a bit of a washout. While some people were impressed by the exclusive nature of the new invite-only social media platform, many more dismissed it as just another unsuccessful attempt by the Internet giant to jump on...
Posted on Feb 14th 2012 by Bryan Marsh
As Google begins to roll out its new personalised search results page, basic search and social media look set to overlap. Not everybody however, is happy about the increasingly personal direction in which search results are heading....
Posted on Dec 1st 2011 by Ryan Kim @ Gigaom.com
Android users who download the latest version of Google Maps from Android Market will now be able to locate themselves inside airports, malls and big department stores that partner with Google and share their floor plans. Google Maps will offer the famili...
Posted on Dec 1st 2011 by Ronnie @ Evision
The fact that Google favors brands in search results means independent and flagged hotels need to be more proactive about staying on top of their online marketing. Fortunately, the avenues discussed in this article are excellent ways you can remain compet...
Posted on Nov 11th 2011 by Bryan Marsh
Google has just released the new Think Insights with Google from beta, that sports a new playful look, helpful tools, more studies, the latest trends and exciting videos....
Posted on Nov 9th 2011 by Bryan Marsh
Google has announced Google+ Pages for your Resort or Hotel. These pages have been specifically created for businesses on Google+. We'll show you how to create your very own Google+ Page....
Posted on Apr 5th 2011 by Bryan Marsh
Last week Google announced the +1 button, it's latest push into social search, nearly a year after Facebook launched Like buttons. The Google +1 button allows you to "+1" the search results and advertisements that you like. Soon you will also be able to a...
Posted on Nov 22nd 2010 by eTourism
It's been weeks since Google rolled out Instant Previews"a feature that allows users to preview the results right on the search engine results page by displaying a screenshot with the click of a magnifying glass....
Posted on Nov 11th 2010 by eTourism
Google pushes the boundaries in search even further by creating a speedier and more useful user experience with its new feature, Instant Previews...
Posted on Nov 4th 2010 by eTourism
Google Places, formerly known as Google Maps or Google Local is Google's new way of giving more localised results....
Posted on Nov 4th 2010 by eTourism
Social media has proven to be a great tool for resorts to reach out to a wider audience online. But not surprisingly, this marketing tool also has its way of extending its reach offline....
Posted on Oct 21st 2010 by eTourism
Google TV has finally unveiled it's first set top box to the public. You can now watch streaming movies, live webcasts, or just about any online content on your very own TV screen....
Posted on Sep 16th 2010 by eTourism
Last week, Google unveiled Instant"a new search interface that provides real-time suggested results as keywords are entered into the Google search box. But the main question is: how will this change affect your resort? Will Google Instant "Kill SEO" o...
Posted on Sep 9th 2010 by eTourism
Today, search giant Google introduced a new version of its search engine interface"Google Instant. This new interface provides real-time suggested results as keywords are entered into Google....
Posted on Aug 24th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
After setting up your hotel's dynamic, content-managed website, what's next? Well, you have to test if it works--by saying "it works" doesn't mean it's live and people can actually go to the website....
Posted on Jul 14th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Over the past few years, the online travel industry has immerged as one of the most popular and booming online industries. Search engines have readily become one of the first points of call for prospective travelers to research all their travel related qu...
Posted on Jul 8th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
By now everyone in the online world has heard about Google's acquisition of Software Company ITA. We have heard the rumors of Google's potential monopoly of Cyberspace and the online travel industry, but what does this mean for companies already in the ma...
Posted on Jul 8th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
It seems as though everyone's favorite search engine giant Google is not satisfied with search engine dominance, the web has been circulating rumors recently regarding the possibility of a Google version of social networking website Facebook. Faceboo...
Posted on Jul 5th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google has finally announced the $700 mil deal to acquire Software Company ITA. This agreement is just another step for the search engine giant to solidly its hold on the online travel industry. Google first rumored its intentions to acquire the company e...
Posted on Jun 30th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The travel industry is being taking over by internet giants. First Google infiltrated the travel industry with its Google maps, its partnership with online travel guide Ruba and rumoured acquisition of ITA, and now Microsoft is set to enter the industry w...
Posted on Jun 10th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
When creating a website it is important to ensure the content included within it is effectively optimised. What this entails is an effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. An effective strategy would see your website rank highly in major searc...
Posted on May 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google has taken steps to make its mark in the Travel Industry by partnering up with online travel guide and community, Ruba....
Posted on May 20th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Now that you have set up your Google Analytics account, let's see how you can use it to view your website's traffic:...
Posted on May 20th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google Analytics is a great tool which allows you to analyse the traffic on your website. It provides you the tools to view who is visiting your site, what they are looking for and how they are getting to your site. It also allows you to monitor your webs...
Posted on May 14th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
There is a buzz in cyber space in the wake of Google's release of the new look interfaces....
Posted on May 6th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google announced its plans to launch its new Search Engine Interface, which according to ITech Report should be visible to Australian users later today....
Posted on Apr 29th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The Web has recently been bombarded with rumours surrounding the possible transaction between Google, Software Company ITA and their rumoured 1 billion dollar deal....
Posted on Apr 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Search engine giant, Google is said to be in talks to purchase Cambridge based Software Company, ITA Software Inc....
Posted on Apr 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google Alerts is a great tool businesses can use to monitor their online presence. This function allows you to create "Alerts" in relation to particular topics....
Posted on Apr 12th 2010 by Jessica Stevens
Apple is making waves by launching a new program, iAds for mobiles. This new software is the first step made by Apple to enter the business of selling advertising, once again placing itself at odds with Google. Google's AdWords application features a simi...
Posted on Apr 8th 2010 by Max Starkov
Facebook is definitely here to stay and has experienced tremendous growth, but it is not going to replace Google as a travel planning tool anytime soon. Though Facebook initiatives drive traffic to hotel websites, this trackable traffic is not directly re...
Posted on Apr 6th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google Maps is currently experimenting with a new feature which aims to make planning for vacations faster and more effective. The new feature on Google Maps displays specific prices for selected hotel listings....
Posted on Nov 13th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
Most hotels and resorts in Australia have not adopted social media. Social media is not going away, it is not something you can forget about and hope it passes by quietly. Social media is not a fad, its a trend, a game changer that needs to be adopted....
Posted on Nov 12th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
Well, Google has started the season of giving by providing free Wi-Fi on all Virgin America flights until January 15th. Yesterday, Google announced they are extending the gift of free Wi-Fi to 47 airports throughout America. Good work Google, when is it c...
Posted on Aug 21st 2009 by Bryan Marsh
RSS lets online users subscribe to content sources across the web. Aggregation tools, such as Google Reader, display summaries of these subscriptions, which update automatically when new information is available....
Posted on Aug 21st 2009 by Bryan Marsh
We have just published a how-to whitepaper on using Google Reader and RSS Feeds....
Posted on Aug 18th 2009 by Bryan Marsh
On Monday, August 10, Google made an unusual announcement by pre-warning the world about changes to its organic search algorithm....